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Charlie Murphy

Friday Aug. 27-Saturday Aug. 28 @ Wiseguys West Valley City

The average person’s knowledge of Charlie Murphy probably doesn’t go beyond his famous brother (yes, Eddie Murphy) or Chappelle’s Show. There is, however, more to Murphy than meets the eye.

His rough adolescence included a 10-month stint in prison. The day he got out of jail, he joined the Navy, where he remained for six years. He then started working in Hollywood on various movies, served as Eddie’s bodyguard and wrote scripts for movies, including Norbit, which grossed $158 million worldwide. Dave Chappelle was a fan of Charlie from movies such as CB4 and Jungle Fever, and asked him to be on his show. Week after week, Murphy’s popularity exploded as he provided some of the show’s most legendary sketches.

Murphy could easily stay in Hollywood and coast on his fame, yet he chooses performing stand-up, stating, “There may be a point where I stop doing movies and TV, but I ain’t never gonna stop doing stand-up. It’s my voice, and it’s me.”